Prevalence of Group B Streptococcus in vagina and rectum of pregnant women of Islamic & Non-Islamic countries: A Systematic review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis aims at determining the prevalence of GBS in world and clarifying the rate of this infection in Islamic and non-Islamic countries. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted to find relevant data on the pooled estimate of prevalence of GBS colonization in Islamic and non-Islamic countries. Data from each study regarding study design, population characteristics and prevalence of GBS were retrieved. A random effect-model was used for the pooled analysis. Results: Among 3324 papers searched, we identified 245 full texts of prevalence of GBS in pregnancy; 131 were included in final analysis. The estimated prevalence of maternal GBS colonization was 15.5% (CI:95% [14.2-17]) worldwide; which was 14% (CI:95% [11-16.8]) in Islamic and 16.3% (CI:95% [14.6-18.1]) in non-Islamic countries and was statistically significant. Also, with regards to sampling area, prevalence of GBS colonization was 11.1 in vagina and 18.1 in vagina-rectum.